SUPPRESSION OF THE PRESS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 November 1948, Page 6

SUPPRESSION OF THE PRESS

Press Association)

Public Inquiry Into Events On Ruapehu Suggested

(Per

WELLINGTON, Noveinber 2. Tlie .adjouriinieiit of tlie House of Representatives to diseuss charges made by journalists tliat obstruction was encountered while reporting last weekend 011 recoveryof the air erash victims. on Mt. Ruapehu, was moved by Mr. S. G. Holland when the House met today. Ile suggested a full inquiry by a .select committee of the House and the Acting Prime Minister, Mr. Nash, said he had 110 objection to that being done. However, the, motion was declared lost 011 the voices.

Mr. Holland moved: "That the House do now adjourn in order to dis-J cuss a matter of urgent puhlic importance, namely, reports appearing in the daily newspapers of allegations made by newspaper reporters of threats of arrest and of interference with the rights and freedom of accredited representatives of newspapers in obtaining and publishing information in connection with the receht aircraft disaster on Mt. Ruapehu. ' ' Justifying his adjournment motion to enable tlie issne to be discusstul, Mr. ilolland said purty politics had notlnng to do vvitlfthe .motion lie had moved. Government voices: Oh, 110. Mr. McCombs: it is only an pMempt to score. .Mr. Holland said the matter was oue of urgent public interest and 110 Government Department should be lef't in tue air over charges such as had been made. His only purpose was to urge upou the Government a certain tvpe of inquiry in order to have the matter deared up bv a tribunal satisfactory to the public. Mr. Nash said he had aiready stated there would be an inquiry. It had aiready been stated twice that the poiice were advised that the press was to be given all information and opportunitv to make necessary iuquiries. Mr. Nash said he could see 110 reason l'or an urgent diseussion 011 tlie matter when he had promised an inquiry. .Mr. \V. A. yheat : Jiy whom l Mr. Nash said uotliing that could be said would change the decision aiready taken by the Government to have an inquiry into all the circumstances of Ihe matter at issue and the House should not waste its time discussing the question. Mr. McKeen (Speaker) said the • Leader of tlio Opposition apparently ' regarded the question as oue . -qf tlie freedom' of the press and thatf tji'as a question of sufficient public ■fehpsAauco and urgency to niake the adjoixfinnent m.btion aceeptable witliin tke'-Stitfiding orders. . ; \ JTo Rarty .Pplitic'gf' Mr . : Holl andpSpenkiii^ 'tt> jiis Tnotion, said he had 110 ddsife -to seofe' a Partv political advantagU (Guvernnient. laughter). He said he had a deep sense of his responsibility in the matter as the public expected it to be discussed in Parliament at the earliest opportunity. Had a member of the Opposition given notice of a question, it would probabJv not have been given the opporlunity for a diseussion before the end oi' the session. llad an urgent question been asked there would prohably have been an unsatisi'actory replv such as the Minisrer' had aiready advaneeil as the reasou why the adjournnient motion was unnecessdry. Conliicting statements had been made. Allegations had been made that dopartmental oilicers had suppressed the press. If that was correct. such suppression could not be toleraled. On Ihe other hand, the Acting Priine Minister had said there was 110 suppression. A1 r. Holland said he hoped that, as a result of an inquiry, all tlie departments cuncemed would be able to clear themselves of the gravo charges that had been made. He himself made no charges. Pour departments were in vulved — Prime Minister % Air, Poiice and Army Departments. The inquiry aiready promised by Mr. Nash would he unsatisfactory. Who could conduct it? Would one Government department sit in judgme.nt 011 another? The charges were such that if they were untrue every department should he exonerated hut if they were true there should he proper disciplinary action to see that those fesponsihie ' would not he in the position to repeat such conduct.

. Mr.' Holland said the inquiry should be in public. He thought the Minister of Works would agree. Mr. Hemple : Yes. Mr. Holland said any inquiry beliind seenes would be unacceptable. He suggested that a select committee of the House should iuquire into the charges. The Charges. Asked wliat the charges were, Mr. Holland quoted from a Press Association report publislied on Haturday in wliich tlie Press Association representative stated lie was infonned at the 'Karioi landing ground that "as froxr; this moruing instiuctions have been issued by the Air Department, Wellington, that all press representatives were to be excluded froni tlie ground and 110 ini'o'rmatioji given them. " Mr. Holland said if that charge were true, he ivould be very disappoinled. If it were untrue tlie person making it should be brought to book and required to apologise to those against whom he . had made tlie grave charge. Air. Holland said there was also a charge that although the liiissing plane was located at S.40 a.iu. 011 Friday, no stateinent was made until the Acting Prime Minister made an announcepient in the House of Representatives at 10.30 a.m. Mr. Joues: It had to be conlirmed. Mr. Holland said Mr. Nash had stated that no oiiicer of the Prime Minister 's Department and 110 senior officer of the Air or Poiice Departments gave instruetion for any sup-pi-ession yet despite. the denial it appeared that an area at Horopito was cordoned olf by those under the command of an .Army Colonel.' Not until later on Saturday wa's that cordon rel'axed. There ivas also >a 'charge tbat a reporter was threateued with arrest and that a private radio brought in to assist, was plaeed out -of bounds to journalists. Such charges required' full

public investigation. The nian making tliem should be required to make them in tlie presenee of those lie aceused and the public should kuow there would be an impartial inquiry by members from both sides of the House. That was the best way to clear the departments conceined. Mr. Nash said it was useless to pretend that party politics had not been brought into the matter. Had the Leader of the Opposition come to him and suggested that there he an inquiry, he would have agreed readily but he knew nothing until the adjournment was moved, on something that could have heen settled in five minutes. "I have said before and I say again on the Government' s toehalf, there will "be inquiry both in rega'rd to the statements of the press ruen and in regard to the statements of the departmentai olricers in, regard to press representatives." When lie made tlie statement in tlie House at 10.30 there was still no autlientic report available to the Air Department. "We didn't liold up for one minute information that the plane had been found, " said Mr. Nash. There was 110 auihentic information even at 10.30. As for the charges by press representatives, he had been in touch with other reputable press people in the country who were takiug less notice of tlie matter tlian tlie Leader of the Opposition who was seeking not to cairn uneasmess but to foster it. Mr. Na.sh said that as soou as charges of suppression were made iu tlie press, the departments comenied were asked for tlie fullest possible inf'ormatioiL sonie of whicli liad aiready come to hand but iuquiries were coiitinuiug. The Minister said lie had asked the Commissioner of Poiice to question tlie member of the poiice forcc who allcgedlv hampered or questioned a" pross pliotograplier. Tlie policeman liad replied that in his opinion there were sohie circumstances' to do with the bodies of tli'd victims tliat ought not to be 'ph'o'togTh'plied. 'V'oices: FTear," hear. IMr. Nash sdld'he was suro any inquiry would back up that poiice officer. Mr. Nash said that when he heard reporters were beiiig prevented from going to the scene of tlie crash, he issued instructions tliat they sholi'ld be permitted tu do su niud asked tlie Air Porce to provide aai escort for them. lie liad, at tlie request of an " editor, gi\'en instructions tliat facilities should lm giv.eji .auother reporter wlio encountered difficulties- at searcli liead-. quar-ters-. , -Tlie- suggestion tliat t^ie Prnne"3aGmisfef-'s Department had ainjything to do with it was in correct. An officer of the information section ,«of that department hadAold him they had nothing to doi wi-tli'jit. t Air. Algie: All lliis is liearsay. Mr. Nash: This is not liearsay. Tliis is wliat i say. Mr. Algie: lt is still hearsay to us as to wliat dopartmental officers said. Mr. M. H. Oraui said the Leader of tlie Opposition liad been eharged with fostering public uneasiness but that was tlie very tliing ..the Leader of tlio Opposition was attempting to remove. The pulilic would not be satislied until tlie matter was sifted to the bottom bj an iiidependent tribunal. Representatives of the press liad a very important dutv to pertorm as - watchdogs for the public — to observe, anvestigate and report. If the aili'gations of tlie pressmeii were not in accordance with facts, tlien it was oue of the most serious tliings to happen. lt meant that a responsible represeiitative of the Press Association had made an untrue and t'alse stateiiient.. \

Mr. Jones said tliat 'oue radio rlestriction had beeii iui'po'sed km\ that was wlien- ' ' we gave instructions that relatives were to be advised before the uews was broadcast.;' ' They were uoti(ied when tlie plane was lost and discovered and when tlie bodies of tho •passengers were recpvered, • Tlie Ministor said it was hoped to secure \aluable e-vidence from tho wreckage' whicli would assist in the ijnquiry and tlie air authorities could not have a large liuiuliel of people "pokihg around" the wreck to see wliat infor mation they could get. Mr. iSemple: Or do a bit of pilferiiig. Mr. Jones said the newspapers On1 such occasions must be subject to re Striction tlie same''" as anyone else. ' Newspapermen did not have the righl to go auyvvliere they liked. If they could it might have resulted in interference with some' of the evidencc wliich iv us wanto.d for tlie inquiry. If the presenee of persons was gomg to interfere with' rescile work, then the restrictions were -'"justifiable. He did uot think there was mueli that tlit newspapers had io complain aboiut tliough perhaps some poiice or servi;ce offi.cial ( niight have been more officibus than necessary. Mr. P. \V. Doidge said that the Acting Prime Minister had informecl the House that the policeman who ordered the ph.otograph.er not to take photographs and that any he had t'aken would have ,tq be. submitted, would be backed to tlie limife What was meaint by that? And since when had policemen become censors? Mr. Parry: When they had a duty to perform. Mr. Doidge said it was sheer nonsense to suggest that in that vast area pressmen would get in the way of the rescue parties. Mr. Sempffi Worked TJp. Mr. Semple asked if the press had plaved fair. For photographs to have been takeii"'of'-t-h^ -victims would have

,bceh. a crime of the firs(t^. aiaghitude. Mr.; Semple asked if it ;. wourd have gladdened tho, hearts of m'others if the qiictures liad befen piiblish'ed,.;of bodies fiiutilated and .,'fr6?em; If ' th"e polite had ordered " camefa- liends away he would not blame-, them. Oue. of the photographs' publishqd . hh;d not done anybne' credit in his opinion and iu some of the disasters in which he had beeii, he knpw what tiic -miners would havb done- to -any -photographer yYvho tried to tak'e a photpgr.aph of a mutilatcd body of a fellow miner., They would liave .put tliie phqto'graphor dowii tho ! mine shaft. Anyolio dwho would descend to aecusiug' aLiuah of.tVying to niake political capif ql .'out of A thia . tragedy, wotild:be as low as.a- sew.e« raL Mr. E/P. 'Aderma'n said' the Miiiister of Works had become so . workedYup that he missed the vital point made- by the 1 Opposition. " Every statement '. the Miiiister liad uttered was a condemnatioif of New Zealaiid journalists. Tlie Miiiister .had imputed that the press would have taken and; publisked photographs of mutilated bodies.. ••• Mr. H. G. ,R. Mason said the press didmot liave speciai aecess to inforination as of riglit. The press was not sacred. There may be.an obligation to witlihold infonuation. , Mr. P. Kearins said. that lie had been given niuch information by bushmen wlien they-caiiie down. the niouuf ilin and he had asked • the Ohakune poiice -maliy questiOns but nothing was said- about ' f this preSvS- business." .(He hoped that .' tvhen ' the inquiry took placje, the question of-the oversnpply of pefSonnel would' be epnsidefed. He 'liopCd that the 'inquiry woiil'd 'also eon-' sider the matter of pliysically lifc people only being allowed to go to the scene of a disaster. - . Nfr. R. M. Algie *aid he did not- think .tlie . press had claimcd- for any- speciai, facilities but ho did think they should; not be positively obstrueted -by, threats

of violence and of arrest, from carrying; out their work. He could uot uuderstand the seeining reluctance of the Government to run away fro'ln an inquiry. Too Many Reporters. Mr. F. Langstone said that what 40 or more pressmen were doing at Horopito or Ohakune he did not know but lie would have thought one or two uieh would have been sufficient to disseininate the news through the Press AssUciation to the rest of New Zealand. ; Mr. Holland, replying, said Govern-

, ment members had sought to divert the debate from the real issue, Mr. Nash had . said he welcomed ah inquiry but he did not appear to welcome a public iiiquiry of tlie kihd proposed by the Opposition. Were there a free vote of a the House he thouglit members would una'nimously support an inquiry by' a select committee.' Mr. Ilolland 's .motion was then pnt ^ and deebired lost on the voices. ;